Chapter Ninety-Three: Bai Li Mo's Betrayal

“You have something extraordinary within you, but don’t be bewitched by it. It is merely a tool; it is you who determines its purpose. Guard your true heart, and nothing can harm you.” The old peach tree suddenly warned Yu Daoyi, as if recalling something important.

“Thank you for your guidance, sir!” Yu Daoyi bowed solemnly, like a diligent student.

“The so-called truth is always heavy, shrouded in layer upon layer of mist, carefully protected.”

“If you wish to know the truth, you must peel away those veils one by one, until you are covered in wounds, before you can glimpse the essence at the core.”

“Yu Daoyi, by now you should be able to guess where this place is.” The old peach tree sighed deeply, weary from the ages; perhaps what he was about to reveal was a secret he had hidden for ten thousand years—a truth long concealed.

“This was once a paradise, a celestial haven on earth. At least, ten thousand years ago, it truly was. Everyone here lived carefree lives.”

“Until one day, someone arrived, and everything changed.”

The ancient voice flowed from the old peach tree, as if narrating the beginning of a story. The peach tree was like an aged storyteller, relating a tale only he knew.

“One person?” Yu Daoyi murmured to himself.

“That man called himself Bai Li Mo, a cultivator.”

“Bai Li Mo!” Yu Daoyi exclaimed, startled. This proved that this illusion was based on reality at least ten millennia ago, and Bai Li Mo had once set foot here.

“He came, shattered the peace of this small village, and brought disaster.”

“At first, he was gravely wounded, battered and bloodied, kept alive by the last breath of spiritual energy a cultivator could muster.”

“He collapsed beside me. Back then, I was nothing more than an ordinary peach sapling, not yet awakened to consciousness. Soon after, a villager found him lying by my side.”

The old peach tree’s voice was filled with sorrow and depth, struggling to recall—a story difficult for him to speak of.

“It was Yaoyao, wasn’t it?” Yu Daoyi guessed in a low voice.

“Yes. Ten thousand years ago, this was Peach Blossom Village. Here, everyone had the habit of planting peach trees, which gave rise to this paradise.”

“And I am the peach tree that Yaoyao herself planted and nurtured.”

The old peach tree gently swayed, petals fluttering around him, as if nodding to confirm Yu Daoyi’s guess.

“Ten thousand years ago... I suppose everything has changed beyond recognition now?” Yu Daoyi murmured.

Ten millennia could alter anything. In that span, surely everything here was gone; even whether the real Peach Blossom Village still existed was uncertain. Only this illusion remained.

“She saved him. She fell in love with him. A story as old as time—Yaoyao was smitten at first sight, ignoring the villagers’ kindly warnings, stubbornly bringing him back to the village and caring for him.”

“With the powerful physique and regenerative abilities of a cultivator, and Yaoyao’s tireless nursing, plus her knowledge of herbs and endless decoctions—even if mortal remedies had little effect on cultivators—he truly did recover, and soon could converse with others.”

While the old peach tree spoke, Yu Daoyi’s mind wandered as if he had stepped on a banana peel, drifting to another place; the first thought that came was that his own sister had run off with another man. A sudden sense of defeat overwhelmed him, his heart aching so much that even the peach blossoms in the village seemed to turn green.

“To this, Yaoyao was overjoyed. She wanted to know his past, she wanted to help him, she wanted to be worthy of him. But that man, from the very start, only sought to use her!” The old tree seemed not to notice Yu Daoyi’s disgusted expression, continuing his tale.

“Months later, Bai Li Mo had fully recovered and could leave at any time, but only stayed a few more days because Yaoyao repeatedly pleaded with him. She confessed her feelings, and he calmly accepted.”

“She thought he agreed; she naively believed he loved her too. Every day they were inseparable, always together. But little did she know, it was all part of his plan.”

“The peace in Peach Blossom Village did not last. As the villagers said, their tranquility came from living apart from the world, wanting only a quiet life. Yet he broke that peace, shattered their lives.”

“One day, a band of marauders invaded Peach Blossom Village, tracking Bai Li Mo’s trail.”

“That day, Bai Li Mo mysteriously vanished, and Yaoyao’s first thought was not betrayal, but worry for his safety. No matter how she searched, she could not find him.”

That day, the marauders learned it was the villagers who had helped the fugitive they sought.

That day, Peach Blossom Village ran red with blood, corpses littered the ground, and the peach blossoms withered.

That day, they coveted Yaoyao, driven by lust; she suffered unspeakable humiliation and could not escape.

She resisted. She screamed. She hoped the man would come to save her, for she knew he was a cultivator capable of anything.

But it was all in vain. Everything this innocent girl hoped for never happened. He trampled on her love, he caused the death of the entire village.

The marauders ravaged her, their filthy laughter echoing in her ears. Her cries only fueled their excitement. In the end, all was lost.

Those marauders, fugitives from a distant corner, were all cultivators. Bai Li Mo was one of them. During several missions, they discovered he was from a major sect, and, coveting his treasures, betrayed and wounded him, leading to his earlier injuries.

The villagers were mere mortals, powerless to resist. Bai Li Mo saw this, and used the lives of the entire village to lay a great formation, exploiting Yaoyao’s love, manipulating her, making her the core of the array—a living person as the array’s heart! He was utterly mad!

He used Yaoyao to linger in the village, laying the blood array over those days. When the formation activated, he watched coldly as it all unfolded. In the end, he got what he wanted.

This village, once a paradise, became a hell on earth. Villagers and marauders alike perished here.

Ironically, Yaoyao died still worrying about him, unaware that she had long been reduced to a mere pawn. Weak women’s beauty is but a burden and a curse. He coveted Yaoyao’s beauty, knowing the marauders would never let her go, and thus made her the heart of the formation.

All the villagers were slaughtered by the marauders; only Yaoyao died by her own hand. The marauders tried to take her away; the reason is obvious. She felt she was no longer worthy of him. She watched herself be humiliated, believing she had seen the world’s worst evil, yet failing to realize that the most terrifying thing is always the human heart.

She truly was a fool. And him—what about him?” The old peach tree recounted the events of that day with a deep, suppressed anger. Yu Daoyi also spoke in a somber voice.